a success story

a success story

1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

1

Intus haec ago, in aula ingenti memoriae meae.

S. Agustini Confessionum, lib. X, cap. VIII All this I do within the spacious court of my memory.

rheavendors is a brand that has contributed to current trends in international vending like perhaps no other. It is one of the world’s largest vending companies and stands for reliability, innovative mechanical and technical solutions and world-class design.

With over 500,000 Cino XS units sold worldwide, the company has certainly shaped the image of coffee culture in an unparalleled way. rheavendors puts a strong emphasis on not producing ‘impersonal’ machines: form and function are always seamlessly joined. All of rheavendors’ machines, from table-tops to free standing, capture an authentic Italian style and captivate with their design and their ease of handling. These machines are not just coffee vending machines but 2

complete coffee shops – and rheavendors is, with machines installed in more than 90 countries worldwide, one of the most respected ambassadors of Italian coffee culture.

Who is the person behind this large and well-known name; how and when did everything start and how has the company developed throughout the past 50 years? rheavendors was founded in Italy in February 1960 by Aldo Majer. The unusual brand name derives from a South American ostrich-like bird, the Rhea americana, or ñandu: “because maybe it doesn’t fly, but oh boy — it runs!” It was the right move at the right time: only one small step for Aldo Majer, it would prove to be a giant leap for the entire vending industry, which fundamentally changed the appearance and identity of vending. A passionate observer of wildlife, Aldo Majer understood that business is like bird-watching: one has to observe very carefully, assess the situation and make the right move at the right moment.

1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

Both bird-watching and business require skill, stamina and ingenuity. Thanks to these skills, together with his relentless passion and fighting spirit, Aldo Majer is considered to be one of the biggest names in vending, to whom even competitors look up respectfully. This is more apparent today than ever, as he has successfully retained his passion for the business and is still leading an international company at the age of almost 90. He remains the driving force of that company, which has, throughout the last 50 years and to the present day, continued to set milestones in quality, design and reliability.

1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

3

“Who can operate for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without ever going out to lunch or on strike? Only a vending machine,” Aldo Majer, RVG President.

Italian design is pre eminent in many industries, from fashion through furniture to automobiles, and this has extended to vending. At rheavendors, ‘il dottor Majer’ makes sure that form and function are always combined in harmony. Scores of famous designers have captured over the years the spirit of the time, often setting new trends for the global vending image. All of these factors contribute to rheavendors’ leading international role in vending, particularly the tabletop segment. Furthermore, rheavendors has proved to be astute at forging strong alliances with large international companies, such as coffee roasters and global operators as well as regional operators.

4

rheavendors took its first steps into the vending business producing chewing gum machines. At the time these

machines were rare, but could be found in some streets and public places. Buying something out of a machine was a futuristic thought in those days, and one which was enthusiastically embraced by science fiction — for instance, vending machines often appear in the films

by Stanley Kubrick. He was fascinated by automation in general and also by the interaction of men and machines: the insertion of coins, pulling levers and pushing buttons to use them and finally opening the flap and taking the goods. Even so, anyone who predicted that machines would someday be as widespread as they are today was considered a dreamer. Aldo Majer, however, could see beyond the immediate use of vending machines in those early days. He understood the trends and predicted an ever-growing vending market. His skills and perseverance have made rheavendors a market leader for the last 50 years. Today, vending machines are omnipresent and accepted. Their reliability is well known and proven and this is, in many ways, thanks to rheavendors. Vending machines are widely accepted, thanks to their ability to save time and money and the convenience they bring to 1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

the consumer’s everyday life. rheavendors takes this one step further, building on people’s expectations and dreams in its development of new machines and concepts.

Aldo Majer loves the thought that his products help people to communicate with each other. This might sound strange, so how can a machine bring people together?

Aldo Majer, founder and president of rheavendors, with the late Ms Bianca Corbari, for half a century irreplaceable collaborator and ultimately financial director of the rheavendors group

Take the coffee machine in the workplace, for example. In the office, it is frequently a hub for communication between colleagues. This is proven by research studies as well as by day-today experience. At vending machines, people exchange information about their private life, colleagues and the company that employs them. For this reason, rheavendors considers vending is also a medium for communication. All in all,

Aldo Majer with Frieder Steigler, director of servomat-steigler GmbH, which has been part of the rheavendors group since 1985

1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

5

the elegant machines provide more than just drinks or snacks on demand. Being aware of this fact, innovative designers and architects increasingly design seating areas near to vending machines within 6

the workplace. Of course, these machines should properly fulfil their main purpose and be reliable, user friendly and attractive. “Who can operate for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without ever going out to lunch or on strike?” asked Aldo Majer. “Only a vending machine.” It is important that the machine is suited to the demands and needs of the people using it. The closer it matches those needs, the better it fulfils its purpose. Even today, friends and rivals equally attest that Aldo Majer understood these needs and 1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

“As a teenager I climbed the Dolomites for days, shooting a casual chamois or two. Coming back, my father Carlo, would only ask about the shots I that the passion in his eyes burns still, just missed,” Aldo Majer, RVG President. like when he has a walk watching wildlife in his beloved countryside.

As a family business Aldo’s sons continue to learn from him and are key to the future of rheavendors. With such a strong foundation, the signs point to continued success for rheavendors, but the wildlife-lover also knows not to be complacent and that there are always new targets to aim for. Aldo Majer plans to continue to observe with patience, act with skill and make the right decisions at the right moment - just as he has done accurately his whole life.

1960s In the sixties there was a very popular Italian song called, ‘Fatti mandare dalla mamma a prendere il latte’ (‘Ask your mum to send you to buy the milk’). The kids loved to do so because they received a ‘10 lire’ coin as reward that they would 1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

spend in a Ferrari-red, ball-shaped chewing gum machine.

This chewing gum machine was the first product to be sold by rheavendors. Mechanically perfect and yet very simple, it had a glass container for the colourful chewing gum balls which added a touch of perfect roundness to its design. By 1962 rheavendors produced – as the first Italian manufacturer - a full range of vending machines including post-mix cold drinks machines, hot soluble drinks and snacks machines.

1970s In the 1970s the first espresso coffee machine was exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was an Italian machine with a minimalist design by the architect Bruno Morassutti. Its outer simplicity stood in contrast to the innovative technology inside. This was rheavendors’ first whole-bean espresso machine with a built-in grinder. In the same decade the first all-plastic cabinet in vending followed – the E100, a work of Angelo Mangiarotti, one of Italy’s 7

“After working for 67 years, 50 of which have been for rheavendors, I still find pleasure in seeing and helping the development of our technical capabilities,” Aldo Majer, RVG President. most prominent architects and industry designers. With this machine it was possible to see the coffee beans from the outside. A revolutionary centrifugal brewer provided fresh espresso coffee.

Carlo Majer and Aldo Majer raise their glasses to the bright future of rheavendors

8

1980s The machine called ‘80’ was named after its debut year.

It was rheavendors’ first budget-type, free standing coffee machine. With features cut to the bone, the 80 still offered all the quality and drinks the end user and the professionals needed – for the best price. This machine also opened up markets in northern Europe for rheavendors and became the first Italian machine to be appreciated by the very difficult and exclusive German market. In 1985 the ‘Viva’, the first - and for a long time the only - fully automatic table-top vendor followed with a capacity of 200 cups, offering the newly developed drink ‘MoccaCino’ (a creamy cappuccino with chocolate which creates that beloved bittersweet taste). This machine established rheavendors as a panEuropean supplier of vending machines and was distributed throughout the whole European vending world; an important expansion into the north and east for a company that was initially limited to the Southern European markets. In 1985 Aldo Majer and I, Frieder Steigler, met — and from that moment a first class partnership was born through which the German, Austrian and UK businesses were shaped.

1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

The simplicity of the machine‘s exterior stood in stark contrast to the sophisticated technology contained within rheavendors‘ vending machines of the 1960s and 1970s

1990s The nineties saw the introduction of the Moda, a new floor standing machine featuring an impressive selection panel to highlight the drinks menu. Ten years later, the concept has become a standard in the vending industry. Another innovation of the

1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

Moda was a flexible system of modules that ensured a fast and easy installation of complex payment systems. With the PCM (Personal Coffee Machine), rheavendors took the next step forward in table-top vending and established a design classic. Designed by an American car designer, the PCM was, and still is today, considered an object of beauty as well as a great machine.

9

“A large part of rheavendors’ success was down to the work of the lady who started off as my assistant and secretary, Bianca Corbari: who later turned into the financial director and second soul of the company, allowing me to concentrate on engineering, research and development,” Aldo Majer, RVG President.

2000s The range of rheavendors’ machines changed its look at the beginning of the new century.

However, emphasis was still placed on the main principles of vending: usability,

small timeline

1960

10

1965

1970

refined taste, ease of installation and maintenance. The clever design of the Cino ‘XS’ led to a cost efficient method of customisation and with its simplicity, small footprint, low build price and outstanding drink range it transformed people’s perception of automatic coffee machines.

And now? rheavendors has set new standards ever since its machines were exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In this globally important collection of modern and contemporary art, the design of rheavendors is ranked next to other innovative industrial designs like those from Apple or Porsche. The international nature of the

1975

1980

1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

1985

design department plays a crucial role for rheavendors, because new global trends can only be set with the help of top designers. rheavendors knows no national boundaries and it is precisely this intercultural exchange that makes it possible for the company to continue to adapt and introduce new concepts that are applicable to the market demands of the day. Machines must speak a global language; they should be user friendly and reliable, because only then they will be able to convince the consumer.

1990

1995

1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors

2000

In addition to the R&D centre, rheavendors has four production facilities for snack machines and small, medium and large coffee machines, with a production area of 27,000 square metres and more than 200 employees, and nine branch offices abroad with more than 130 employees. Aldo Majer’s philosophy of fairness is key to the company’s entire structure from employees and suppliers to its dealings with its customers and partners. A visionary, he has set milestones all around the globe and as an ambassador of the Italian coffee culture he has defined vending like no other.

A memoir by Frieder Steigler, rheavendors’ partner and marketing consultant

2005

2010

and beyond ...

11

the next generation

rheavendors france

12

rheavendors polska

rheavendors sur

rheavendors benelux

rheavendors servomat UK

rheavendors espaĂąa

rheavendors servomat A

1960-2010 • 50 years for rheavendors